Page 72 of Heartbreak Hockey

“Hey!”

He’s done in the shower. I pull him out and proceed to towel dry him. He’s staying naked. I’m gonna do stuff to him he wouldn’t allow Rhett to do. Speaking of, I smack his ass.

“What was that for?”

“Felt like it. I’m going to reclaim every inch of you, Leslie.” My fingers spend extra time fondling his junk as I dry the area. “When you’re with me, you’re mine. That’s the fucking deal.”

“Yeah?” he murmurs. “Looking forward to that.”

Dropping the towel, I push him against the counter until his ass hits it, trapping him there. “What did Rhett have to say?”

“Arrrrgh.” He scrubs a hand over his face. “He’s still got some asinine idea in his head that we’re starting our family at the end of the season. Skating off into the sunset. Jesus.”

“Does he know about your parents' decree?” I nibble on his neck.

“No, but his goals happen to align with theirs. If only he knew what the captain wants to do to him.”

I shudder. Not sure if I want to meet his Navy Captain Dad. Huh. Just that I’m thinking about meeting his parents. That’s something new.

“I take it this still doesn’t align with your life goals?”

“Yes and no.” While he talks, I drag him to my hotel bed, which is nice, but I miss the one in my fancy condo. “If I don’t move up, I might as well. It’s the only thing keeping us apart, right?”

The backs of his legs hit the edge of the bed. I lay him flat on his back and crawl up him. God, he’s large. What did they feed him at home? He’s got the thighs of a horse. “If you have to ask me, you’ve lost the plot, Jack.”

My tongue latches onto his nipple. They’re so fucking sensitive. He pants. Arches his back. “And you know,” I say. “You can earn your way to a respectable career in the league you’re in. Yeah, you won’t be famous, but you’ll be playing hockey.”

“Tell that to my dad. He won’t accept it.”

“You’re a real daddy’s boy, eh?” I smile. He’s fucking adorable.

He covers his face with his arm, groaning because he knows it’s true. I roll off him and lay on my side so I can look at him. I let my fingers trace over the ripples of his body at a lazy rhythm. Boy, he’s something to admire. Soft skin and hockey player sturdiness.

“You staring at me, Merc?” he says from under his arm.

“A bit, yeah.”

He uncovers his eyes and smiles at me.

There you are, pretty boy.Do you know you smile with me?

“You might have to make a grown-up decision,” I tell him.

“Isn’t that what I have you for?”

“I’m here to listen, sure, and offer advice, but you’ve got to make these decisions, Leslie.”

“Mmmhmm. Are you gonna punish me for eating hot dogs?”

A genuine laugh bursts from me that I haven’t felt bubble through me since the last time I was home dancing with Theo in my living room. “No. That stuff is only for domestic discipline fantasy novels and porn.”

“Rhett was a stickler for rules.”

“I’m a stickler for choice and trust. I trust that you choose to obey—especially since you begged for me to spank your naughty ass in the first place.”

He pushes me still smiling. “I did not beg you.”

“There was a TED talk in my living room. Anyway, that’s not how I work. You’ve got your hockey regimen to follow, and you do, a couple of hot dogs won’t kill that. If the system was falling apart that would be different because that’s something I would imagine you’d want my help for. I’m just a willing participant, ready to offer a helping hand when necessary—pun fucking intended.” Puns should always be intended.